BossmaX

OK.. i have had both springs on my car and i can share my observations with you so that you can decide which spring suits you best.

COMFORT/RIDE:
I started out with the H&R/AGX combo and i liked the ride very much, except it did not look low enough for me after a while. Then i got Sprint/AGX and left the settings on the struts the same (2 front, 3 rear). At first the ride was very similar the the H&R, but this was on smooth roads. On smooth roads the springs behave very much the same, where you can feel little bumps and imperfections in the road, but it is very minor. Then i started hitting pot holes and larger bumps etc. the H&R were very tolerant to this, they were completely silent and very smooth, even more so than my factory SE setup. With the Sprints, hitting bigger obstacles was a nightmare, my car would bottom out almost all the time. I would literally have to slow down to a crawl when i saw something in the road. Even if i did not bottom out, i felt like i lost some level of control of the car. This was OK by me at first because my car looked good, but after a while i got really tired of it, and i regreted changing anything, even lowering the car in the first place. So now i switched back to H&R and i could not be happier with the setup. It is so much smoother and quiter. The first few days that i put them in i targeted a few potholes and was utterly amazed at how well they handled them, it almost felt like i was in an SUV.

LOOKS:
As I said before, the H&R's did not look low enough for me, so i switched to Sprints. The Sprints lowered the car by a lot, especially in the front. My car finally looked like it was lowered. The only thing that took a while to get used to was that the front was a lot lower than the rear. It looked awkward at first since the H&R's leave an identical gap both front and back. However, after I switched back the H&R's, the car looked weird again, because it seemed like the front was too high. So now i got used to it again and i do like the way they look even all around. In my opinion the H&Rs make the car look very nice, they complement aftermarket rims very nicely, but they definitely do not make the car look dropped. If you're looking for a drop, get the Sprints and probably cut a coil in the back to even it all out.

HANDLING:
Theoretically the Sprints should handle better because they are firmer and they bring the car lower to the ground. However I never really tested their limits to the point where they convinced me of their superiority. From my experiences driving, i have more confidence with the H&R because i'm not afraid that if i hit a bump on a turn the car will lose control, bottom out etc. Maybe i'm imagining it but i don't see much of a difference with either spring performance wise.

Bottom line.. if you want a drop get sprints, if you want your car to stop looking like a 4x4 and still have a nice ride get H&R. In my opinion Sprints are too low of a spring for maximas, there is not enough travel in the front struts.

psteng19

Trying setting the AGX to 1 front/1 rear for the softest ride possible.

Even with the Sprints, it won't be as harsh on big bumps.

mzmtg

iTrader: (11)

AMEN! Finally someone agrees with me! Sprints are TOO LOW for the Maxima.

Chino

iTrader: (1)

Very informative post, this Lord of the Blings thing still makes me laugh everytime I see it. Where did this come from?

sidewinder740

Thanks, you just unconvinced me of getting Sprints even though I was about to buy them. Now I think I'm going to get Eibach since they still have great handling and are still pretty low.

MaxedOut

iTrader: (4)

eibachs are still very HARSH ride... going over potholes is not fun... the drop is nice cuz its inbettween the sprints and H&R's.. but i think i woulda gotten the H&R's if the Eibachs werent free.. but the drop is beautiful

trinity000

i will most definately agree with maxedout... when i get my eibachs they were very harsh i felt like i was in my truck again on bumpy roads... went back to stock and haven't have the time nor money to get the H&R's like i want... trust me stay H&R

BossmaX

my problem with the Sprints wasn't so much that they were too harsh, i could deal with that.. it is just that i would bottom out very often.

Aaron

iTrader: (4)

But it handles sooo good w/sprints

turbomax97

iTrader: (6)

setting both front and rear on 1 doesnt work as the car is REALLLLLLLLY bouncy and floaty...... unless you like the ghetto style more power to ya

matty

iTrader: (54)

It really all depends on what roads you drive around on all day...When I picked to go with sprints I wanted to people to notice the drop and I knew I would be driving highway to school and back for the next few years so I decided to get them..I have the set on 3 in the front and 5 in the rear and could not be more happy. I do agree, when the roads to get choppy you have to take it easy, but come-on, any noticably dropped car you will have to watch it and dont be stupid

Chino

iTrader: (1)

He does have a point!

mzmtg

iTrader: (11)

Sprints do not handle all that well. This stems from the fact that they are too low. If you are corning at 100% lateral grip and hit a bump that bottoms out the Sprints, you'll spin right off the road. Not good. With the Eibachs (which I dont think are harsh), the handling is better than Sprint because you have more wheel travel. Mid-corner bumps are not so dangerous anymore.

Lower is not always better. With the MacPherson strut suspension system we have, lowering causes problems. As you go down, the roll center gets lower much faster than the center of gravity. Having the roll center so low drastically increases body roll. Simple example (I have no idea if these numbers are correct, but you get the idea):

STOCK
Center of Gravity (CG) height - 8 inches
Roll Center (RC) height - 7 inches

This means that under lateral ecceleration, the CG on has a 1 inch long lever to push on.

SPRINTS
CG height - 6 inches (2 inch drop springs)
RC height - 3 inches

Now the CG has a 3 inch long lever to push on.

When you apply the same force to the longer lever...you end up with more body roll. To counteract this inherent increase in body roll, you have to raise the spring rate (stiffness) a lot. This results in a bad ride..

Chino

iTrader: (1)

So it seems the debate over Sprints and H&Rs is over. H&R prevailing over Sprints. Now its H&R vs Eibachs, I'll just sit back and listen to see which is TRULY the best set of springs...haha!

Sprint

iTrader: (10)

p#ssy

can't handle the ride huh?

i had Sprints and I had H&R's.. i would never go back to H&R's..

but then again i am told i live in CT where the roads are nice and level.. so i don'thave to deal with bumps.. and we have nice cury roads (Merritt Parkway) let me tell you .. Sprints handle 10 times better than H&R's

Sprint

iTrader: (10)

if they bottom out.. you probably installed them upside down.. when i first installed my sprints they bottomed out like crazy.. then i turned them around.. i havn't bottomed out since.. tighter coils on top.. remember that..

mzmtg

iTrader: (11)

Well, I live in Alabama. All we have are dirt roads and freeways that look like the local Air Force base has used them for target practice.

Chino

iTrader: (1)

I remember Hartford and New Heaven both have POT holes! Hehe

Sprint

iTrader: (10)

i don't live in those cities i was talkign about CT highways vs NY Highways

JamesAvery

I think im still gonna get the sprints